Table Of Content
Continue with a walking tour through Old Town to Heidelberg’s renowned gates. From Speyer to Cologne (Day 4 to Day 6), the Rhine River is incredibly scenic. Viking did a great job of scheduling so that passengers could enjoy the view from the boat during the day on this portion of the trip. The vineyards, villages, and castles of the Middle Rhine are undoubtedly the river’s most unique offerings. If you are going to pass on some of the shore tours and spend more time on the ship then a veranda cabin is a good choice. If you have mobility issues book a cabin closest to the elevators to avoid having to go up and down corridors to reach the lounge or restaurant.
Explore Our River Ships
For your best first time river cruise experience, don't be tempted to miss the daily pre-dinner port talk about the next day's port of call and activities. They also provide the opportunity for you to ask any questions. We dock this morning in Kehl and disembark for a guided tour of Strasbourg.
Rhine & Viking Shores & Fjords
Excursions will take you to Trier, with its Roman history, and Germany's oldest university town of Heidelberg with its imposing red sandstone castle. In Bamberg you can try the curious smoked beer and other stops include Nuremberg which, despite almost being destroyed in the war, has three miles of medieval walls. Spend free time in the pedestrian-only Drosselgasse and sample a glass of locally produced wine at one of the restaurants or wine bars.
Tulip Season
Neuf-Brisach is a sleepy little French town that is surrounded on all sides by a visually stunning series of fortified walls. These walls were designed by French architect Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban to help protect border outposts from invasion. You can’t make out the geometry of the walled city from the ground level, but you can explore the city streets and get some sense of their architecture.
Take a scenic excursion through the area’s renowned mountain landscape, rolling meadows and dense forests. Once there, visit a local workshop and see a cuckoo clock-making demonstration. Return to Breisach or choose an optional excursion to the quaint Alsatian town of Colmar. To learn more about each port of call and our included as well as optional excursions, click on the individual days below.
France
Viking introduces the definitive way to explore the world in comfort. We call them Ocean & River Voyages, an innovative marriage of our award-winning river and ocean cruises. Spanning the best of Europe, Viking's 15-day Grand European Tour covers all of the highlights on the Rhine and more. At every port of call, Viking offered one included (free) tour. These tended to be walking tours that lasted about two hours and introduced guests to the various cities. However, if you’d rather explore one of the stops on your own (or even stay on the ship), you are more than welcome to skip any of the tours.
Everyone still has to be back on board at the same time, so for certain port stops, you would get much less time in town if you were part of the last disembarkation group. River cruising is a much more intimate experience, with unreserved seating at meal times so you get to mix and mingle with almost everyone on board by the end (if you want!). Because of this, they have the flexibility to turn each propeller a full 360 degrees for precision and smooth sailing so you shouldn’t experience any seasickness on board. We did a fun tour of the wheelhouse and learned from the Captain that Viking ships utilize four propellers instead of a traditional rudder. The interiors were really unique and the guided tour was excellent. Note – a couple others from the cruise did the optional dinner excursion on this day and raved about it.
Cruise through the morning as you enjoy breakfast and the passing scenery. Arrive in Mannheim and disembark for a tour of Heidelberg to see Germany’s oldest university, founded in 1386. Then, visit the beautiful sandstone ruins of imposing Heidelberg Castle and take in the scenery of the Neckar River Valley and the city’s many red rooftops from this hilltop post.
Also consider adding a pre- or post-cruise extension to your sailing to make the most of your time in Europe. If you are flying in from North America a pre-cruise stay will also help you get over any jet lag and board the riverboat in the best possible shape for the vacation ahead. The entire ship is airy and light-filled and despite it being a small river ship, it feels more spacious and open than some large cruise ships.
You can also pre-book one of many “Optional Excursions,” which are tours that you’ll have to pay extra for. I never did any of the Optional Excursions, so I can’t say if they were better or worse than the included tours. I assume that most people flew out of Amsterdam within a day or two of ending the cruise.
Viking Cruise Reviews for River Cruises to Europe River from Paris (2024 UPDATED): Cruise Ratings - Cruise Critic
Viking Cruise Reviews for River Cruises to Europe River from Paris (2024 UPDATED): Cruise Ratings.
Posted: Sat, 06 Apr 2024 13:15:10 GMT [source]
For a couple stops on the journey, boats running in opposite cities are docked together. Colleen Lanin, MBA, is the founder and editor Travel Mamas and Grownup Getaways. She is an expert in family travel and travel for adults aged 18 to 88. As the author of the book, "The Travel Mamas' Guide," she teaches parents how to make the most of traveling with babies and children. Colleen loves sharing tips on hotels, cruises, spas, theme parks, and global lifestyle topics. When she is not traveling the world, she lives in Arizona with her husband and two kids.
Stay current with special offers, news and destination-focused content. If I could offer one suggestion to Viking, I’d say either choose Speyer or Rüdesheim am Rhein, and spend the entire day there. However, cruising through the Rhine Gorge the next day made up for it. Sailing past all those castles was the highlight of this cruise. Longtime readers of my blog will know that I don’t shy away from giving my honest opinion when it comes to travel. With that in mind, I’m happy to report that this Viking River Cruise was an outstanding experience!
This was my least favorite day of the cruise, mainly because we only had a few hours in both Speyer and Rüdesheim. I feel like we did get to see slightly more of the former than the latter, but both stops were rushed. For any cruises listed, Cruise Critic does not guarantee any specific rates or prices. You will only need money for small extras such as coffee, snacks or gifts and even these can be paid for with a credit card.
The 40-mile Upper Middle Rhine Valley is a UNESCO World Heritage site and the banks are lined with more than 40 hilltop fortresses and lush vineyards. Here are five of our favorite Viking Rhine River cruises to help you find the perfect itinerary. Take a journey along Amsterdam’s network of canals or perhaps browse one of the city’s museums.
Our Viking program director gave a guided audio tour along the way, pointing out castles left and right. Also unlike many other cruises or guided tours, almost everything was included, which made it feel like a truly relaxing vacation. You’ll have to make this decision for yourself, but beer and wine are included with each meal even if you don’t purchase the unlimited drink package. I did the math, and you’d basically have to drink two additional cocktails each day (outside of lunch and dinner) to make the package worthwhile. I enjoy drinking to be sure, but I would typically have wine with my meals and limit myself to one cocktail per day. My total bar tab came out to be about 90 euro for the entire trip.
Marvel at stunning landscapes and majestic scenery of nearby Aurlandsfjord. Admire the scenery and sail along the network of Holland’s waterways. Stroll the pedestrian-only Drosselgasse; sample local wines at a quaint restaurant. Sail past hilltop castles along the Middle Rhine, a UNESCO Site, and look for Lorelei Rock.
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